…is your brain actually making it harder for you to lose weight?
There are certain lies about weight loss we all seem to tell ourselves. These are lies we may not even realize we are telling ourselves because everyone has certain beliefs and habits that dictate their behavior. Unfortunately, many of these beliefs can keep us from the very things we desire the most. This seems to be especially true when it comes to diet and exercise.
These lies about weight loss are really limiting beliefs. Limiting beliefs are simply things we believe to be true that hold us back in some way. In this case, hold us back from living the life we want. Studies like this one from Universal Coach Institute show that for most women, it’s not a lack of resources that keep them from being healthy. Their mindset and limiting beliefs keep most women unwell.
Read on as we debunk these common lies about weight loss many of us have told ourselves at one point or another. We also provide positive affirmations for you to replace the lies.
Lie #1
I must have everything I need before I get started
What to tell yourself instead: “I have everything I need.”
You know how this lie about weight loss goes. You tell yourself I’ll start exercising when I have… new shoes, a gym membership, outfits to wear to the gym… on and on the list goes. Or I’ll eat healthy as soon as I buy these books on the topic, get a new juicer to make juice, or new pans to cook the new healthy food in… on and on…
Realize that you don’t need anything fancy to get started. The main thing is to just get started!
Instead of thinking you need all of these things to get started, how about you get started and then reward yourself with the things you thought you needed. In other words, start walking every day and when you do it every day for two weeks, go get a new pair of shoes.
Nothing happens without action, so start taking action today.
Lie #2
I’m too out of shape to exercise
What to tell yourself instead: “Everyone starts somewhere.”
Lots of people believe this lie about weight loss. The truth is that exercise is relative. For some people, exercising means running 10 miles. For others, it might mean walking to the mailbox and back. The key is to stress your body slightly and then let it recover. The amount of work it takes to achieve that is secondary.
It doesn’t matter where you start, or what you do, it only matters that you begin.
Lie #3
I don’t have time
What to tell yourself instead: “I make myself and my health a priority because I am worth it.”
As a busy mom sometimes it can feel like we just don’t have time for one more thing. Unfortunately cooking healthy or exercising can seem like one more thing.
There are plenty of things that are healthy to cook that take almost zero attention. Throw some beans in a pot and let them boil for a couple of hours while you’re busy with something else. The total time actually spent doing anything is less than a minute. Do this ahead of time and then just reheat for mealtime. Need more meal ideas? Download our 100 Quick & Easy Family Recipes eBook. These are tried and trusted recipes that will take you less than 30-minutes to prep and make.
No time to workout? Try fitting it into the pockets of your time. Park farther away at the grocery store. Challenge yourself to tidy up the house in 15 minutes or less, and work up a sweat doing it. Take the stairs at work.
Lie #4
I’m so out of shape that I’ll never be able get back in shape.
What to tell yourself instead: “I am a work in progress. I love myself where I am today.”
It’s true that the more out of shape you are, the longer it’s going to take. But you can improve each week. It’s important to just focus on this week. If you focus two years out, it’s tough to persevere.
If you need to, set up small weekly rewards for yourself. Make them action based, not based off of the scale because you can control your actions, you can’t necessarily control the scale. Give yourself goals like “drink 6 glass of water every day.” Check out our post on 6 Amazingly Useful Ways to Drink More Water. Reward yourself with something small when you reach your goal. Maybe it’s a glass of wine at the end of the week, or a night out with friends, or a manicure.
Lie #5
I don’t know how to get started
What to tell yourself instead: “I know what I need to do.”
If you’re in poor physical shape, nearly anything is good enough. Clean up your diet a little bit. Move around a little bit more than you have been. Once you make an improvement in your habits, your body will respond. Then as you progress, change things up a little more. It’s not necessary to have a complicated routine.
If your goal is to eat healthy, try this for getting started. Replace one ‘bad’ food that you eat regularly with something that you know is healthy. For instance if you love salty crunchy chips, replace that with salty crunchy nuts.
If your goal is to start exercising then start small by going for a walk every day – it’s the perfect low-impact workout. Go as slowly as you need to go – the point is to just do it. If you can only walk 5 minutes, that’s fine. Next week you’ll be able to walk 10.
Each week improve your diet and increase your activity by just a little bit.
Lie #6
It’s too complicated
What to tell yourself instead: “My health isn’t complicated.”
This belief comes from the nutrition and fitness industry. If they kept everything simple, what would they have to sell and talk about? Diet and exercise are both actually very simple unless you’re trying to make the Olympic team. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you’re knowledge is insufficient.
If you feel like you need an extra boost to start your weight loss efforts you can invest in products but invest wisely. Choose something like the Modere Lean Body System that has been proven to work, has clean ingredients and been through clinical studies.
Examine your own beliefs.
What is stopping your from taking better care of yourself?
Is your belief reasonable, or is it just an excuse to maintain your current behavior? If you can change your beliefs, you can change your behavior and enjoy better results. It can be hard to examine your thoughts and uncover the lies about weight loss you’v been telling yourself. But it will be worth it.
